Maybe Anything
by Paw Print Pajamas
Summary: Nearly two years have passed since the events of 'Always Something' and the lies that Antonio DiNozzo put into motion were only just beginning to unravel. Now Tony and the team have to keep everything from falling apart before one of their own dies.


CBS and Paramount Pictures own NCIS.

Maybe Anything

Angelica DiNozzo ran as fast as her four-inch heals allowed. She was late for her own graduation. Being late wasn't unusual for Angelica but she made plans to make sure that she was on time. What she didn't plan on was that car accident that forced her and her family to take a long detour. When she made to where all the students were she had three minutes to spare. Her Literature teacher gave her an amused smile and pointed to where she was supposed to stand in line.

She looked into the bleachers for her family as she and her classmates filed into the gymnasium. The first person she saw was her brother, Tony. He was twenty-two years older than her. That caused most people to think that he was her dad. They did have the same eyes. The title of dad went to the man sitting to Tony's left, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. They shared no blood ties but she was closer to Gibbs in two years than she ever was to her biological father in sixteen. Her sister-in-law, Ziva, was sitting to Tony's right. Ziva was a former Mossad officer turned federal agent and was currently playing with nearly one-year-old Hope. Behind them was Dr. Donald Mallard, affectionately called Grandpa Ducky by Angelica, and Jimmy Palmer. Ducky had recently retired as a Medical Examiner and Jimmy had taken his place. Abby Sciuto, Tim McGee, and her nephew, Ryan, were sitting in front of Tony.

None of her friends knew the entire truth to how she met her family. They would never understand. There were parts that even she didn't understand. That didn't mean that she didn't love her family. She did. In fact, she couldn't imagine what her life would be like if they hadn't taken her in.

Without her even realizing it, Angelica's name was being called.

* * *

A few hours later they were back home and enjoying a party, one of Abby's creations. It had to been the strangest graduation party ever. Most of the guests were NCIS agents and their families. Even Director Tomlin came. Angelica had become friends with a few of them over the last two years. A few were from the FBI, including Fornell and Sacks. The others were just random people that they met in the line of duty and formed strong friendships with. Usually these people were in some way connected to the Navy and Marines, mostly the kids of victims.

Two years ago Angelica would never have believed a party like this was possible. She didn't even think she would have even celebrated graduating, much less with a party. She thought that the moment the headmaster handed over her diploma she would have been kicked out of the manor in Long Island and onto the streets of Manhattan.

Now she had family and there was no way she would give that up.

* * *

Across the street there was a lone woman sitting in a dark sedan. After taking a few pictures she noted that her target was well protected. She knew that she could break that protection.

She always got what she wanted and this time was going to be no different. There was no reason why it had to be.

* * *

Tony's gut feeling was churning. Something was going to happen he just didn't know what. He didn't like that it because the last time he had felt that way Gibbs and McGee had nearly been killed by his father and cousins.

He went to find Abby. Her instincts were usually the same as his. She claimed that the two of them had a bond similar to the one that siblings had. If he hadn't had felt a bond with Angelica he wouldn't have believed her. It just wasn't logical to have a special connection to a person just because they relate to each other. He always just thought that they were really close. He knew they were on a unique and sometimes scary wavelength.

Tony found her by the sound system playing DJ. He used sign language to tell her to meet him at the front door. Gibbs saw him signaling to her and followed them. He didn't like that were meeting in secret.

"What are you two up to? You know Angelica won't appreciate one of your pranks at her party."

"Nothing Boss—" Tony was cut off.

"What's with calling me 'boss'? You never call me that unless we're working. What's going on Tony?"

"We're surrounded by feds. It just slipped out. I thought you wanted me to call you 'boss' when we're with co-workers." He knew that he was rambling. He was nervous he couldn't help it.

"Tony..." There was a warning in Gibbs voice.

"You feel it too, don't you? Something hinky is going on. Don't lie, Tony. I know when you lie to me."

Gibbs eyes narrowed. "You don't have any more family members that want you dead, do you?" Tony wasn't sure if Gibbs meant that as a joke or not.

"Yeah, all of them. They won't do anything to me with Antonio dead. They know that he was the only person I had truly been afraid of. I can do more damage to them than they can ever do to me. I don't have anything to worry about from them. Really Dad, it's just a feeling. We can't do anything about it unless we know what it is."

* * *

The woman in the sedan took a few more photos including close-ups of Tony, Abby, and Gibbs' faces. She didn't know the relationship that they had with her target but then again she really didn't care as long as they stayed out of her way.

She left soon after the three on the porch went back to the party. She knew that she would be coming back. She couldn't get to her target at the house.

It only took Angelica three days to become officially bored with all the free time that she suddenly found herself with. Almost all of her friends were in either Europe, California, or in some Southern state. She wasn't jealous that they were away. Traveling for pleasure wasn't really her thing.

California was made a forbidden zone by Abby. According to her bad things happen in California, especially in Los Angeles. She heard about Jenny Shepard and how she died there, so she went along with the rule willingly. She had been there before and there wasn't anything special about the state.

The last time she had been to a state further that south than Virginia, Angelica ended up in the hospital in South Carolina and her father left her there with a credit card so that she order a plane ticket to get home. She never did give it back to him and she didn't think he even notice that it was gone. She didn't want to return to the south anytime soon. The memories of being abandoned for a meeting that was rescheduled still hurt after three years.

With nothing to do she offered to look after Hope instead of having her sent to the daycare center at Navy Yard. Not wanting to stay indoors all day, Angelica packed Hope's diaper bag and loaded the car seat in her red Mustang and headed to the park. She was halfway there when she realized that her friend Courtney Hudson wasn't going to leave for another two days. She called her but found that Courtney couldn't meet them for at least another half hour. It was only 8:30ish when she called.

* * *

The woman pulled out and followed the Mustang. Her target was alone and vulnerable. This made things much easier for her to get the target.

She smiled when she saw her target pull into the park. The smile disappeared when the target pulled a baby from the backseat of the car. That made things more difficult. But the woman knew that she might not get another chance to get her target.

Angelica could feel that someone was watching her. However, whenever she looked around no one was even looking in her direction. She laid out a blanket before placing Hope on it. But the feeling only got stronger the longer she stayed in the park. She took another look around and saw that no one was around.

For two years her family had drilled into her that she should trust her gut instincts. Right now her gut was screaming at her to get Hope and run.

And she would have if it weren't for the gun that was poking her in the back.

"Any sudden movements and I will kill the baby. Understand?" The voice belonged to a woman's that Angelica didn't recognize so she did was nod. "Good. We are going to go your car and get the car seat. Then you will put your self and the baby in the car where you will be lying on the floor. Understand" Angelica nodded again. "Let's go."

At her car Angelica unlatched the car seat. She saw that a bunch of Hope's wooden alphabet blocks had fallen out of the diaper bag. She quickly spelled out 'CALL NCIS' and prayed that Courtney saw it. She grabbed the rest of the blocks and put them in the bag. The ground was soft where the woman had parked and the wheels had made a pattern in the dirt. Angelica dropped a block when the woman wasn't paying attention.

* * *

Courtney was getting worried. She saw Angelica's car in the parking lot but she couldn't find her friend. She found Hope's blanket with Angelica's cell phone on top of it and was immediately reminded of one of the 'DiNozzo/Gibbs family rules', never be unreachable. Angelica would never leave her phone. With nearly her whole family being federal agents, Courtney could understand the rule. So she knew that something had to be wrong.

She went over to Angelica's car and was surprised to find that it was unlocked. That was another rule that her brother gave to her, don't leave an unattended car unlocked. She saw the blocks as soon as she opened the car door. For the first time she was glad that Angelica was paranoid and had all of her friends keep NCIS's phone number in their cells for emergencies. She called the number.

"Gibbs."

"Agent Gibbs, this is Courtney Hudson. I think Angelica and Hope are in trouble....."

* * *

It took Gibbs a few seconds to fully comprehend what Courtney was telling him. He didn't want to believe was he was hearing.

He looked at Tony's empty desk and then at Ziva's. This was going to kill them.

Tony was going to blame himself. He _knew_ something was wrong and didn't stop it from happening. He would refuse to believe that it wasn't his fault until Gibbs drilled it into his head that it wasn't. After all his work he knew that Tony still was prone to self-doubt.

Ziva would revert to what she was like seven years ago... cold and distant. It was her safety net to not allow people to see that she's hurting. She kept people at a distance and Gibbs could only hope that she won't push Tony away when he needs her the most.

But right now he had a job to do.

"McGee, grab your gear!" He called out to a junior agent to bring Ryan to autopsy and to put the daycare center under a high security alert.

"What's going on, Boss?" asked McGee.

"Kidnapping." It wasn't the word that worried McGee. He had seen more than his share of kidnappings since he began working at NCIS. It was his tone that worried him. Gibbs only used that tone when....

"Tony?"

"No." McGee nearly sighed in relief. "Angelica and Hope."

McGee was speechless. He couldn't fathom why anyone would want to hurt those girls. Angelica's past was filled with too much pain and she didn't deserve more. Hope was pure innocence. Like her dad, she could fill any room with happiness without even trying.

They found Courtney by Angelica's car. She flung herself into McGee's arms. He awkwardly patted her back. Gibbs made no move to help him.

"I'm so sorry. I should have been here sooner. This is all my fault. I could have saved them." She was crying into McGee's shirt.

"This isn't your fault. You could have been taken as well or worse," Gibbs soothed her. "Courtney, we are short on people so I'm going to need you to take pictures while McGee and I collect evidence." Courtney nodded and Gibbs handed her a camera.

There was one around meaning that there wasn't any witnesses to interview.

McGee found the wooden block next to a set of tire tracks. He called Gibbs over so that they could make a mold of the pattern so Abby could possible identify the car that made the tracks. He also told Courtney to take pictures for a chain of evidence. After everything was bagged and tagged they called for a tow truck so that the Mustang could be processed at NCIS.

Tony and Ziva were back at their desks when Gibbs arrived back at the bullpen. He sent McGee and Courtney down to Abby so that he could tell the couple that Angelica and Hope were gone. He didn't want to be the one to do it, but he knew they would rather have him tell them than the director.

"Tony, Ziva, we caught a case while you were getting coffee—" Tony knew that they would have been called to a crime scene no matter what they were doing unless......

"No, no, don't say it," begged Tony.

"I'm so sorry. Angelica and Hope were kidnapped."

"No!" Ziva wrapped her arms around Tony seeking comfort that he couldn't give to her. By the way she was shaking Gibbs knew that she was crying. "We will get them back. I promise. You know that I never break my promises."

"Where's Ryan?" asked Tony.

"I had him brought here. He's with Palmer. I don't think he knows yet."

"I'll tell him."

"Tony...."

"He's my son, Gibbs, my responsibility."

"And you're mine. I can tell him. You don't have to."

"Yes, I do." He kissed Ziva on the forehead and took the stairs to autopsy.

* * *

Angelica was wishing that she had never left the house that morning. Being bored was so much better than being terrified. He kidnapper refused to tell her anything. She didn't even have a name. And since she was forced to stay on the floor of the car she had no idea were they were. All she knew was that they were traveling west and that was only because she could track the sun from where she was sitting.

What was worse than the fear was Hope's crying. The baby girl was hungry. The woman refused to give her a bottle to the wailing child. She could feed herself if she had to. Hope just preferred to be hand fed.

"Can't you shut your kid up?" yelled the woman.

"Just give her a damn bottle of juice! I have a few bottles in the diaper bag but I can't reach since you conveniently put it in the front seat with you." Angelica noticed the way that the woman said 'your kid'. She thought that Hope was her daughter. She could use that she just didn't know how.

The woman had to admit that she was getting hungry as well. She hadn't eaten anything since the night before. She also knew that she needed to keep both girls alive until she got what she wanted. That wasn't going to happen for at least a few more days.

She pulled into a diner and laid out a few rules to Angelica. The main ones being no talking unless spoken to and so drawing attention to herself. Angelina and the baby didn't even look anything alike. The only trait that they shared was the DiNozzo green eyes. The baby had dark hair while Angelica had red hair.

"What's her name?" She was honestly curious.

"I'll give you her name of you tell me yours," snapped Angelica.

The woman almost didn't answer. "You really don't know who I am? Angelica, I'm Claudia."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Claudia glared at her. "Her name is Hope Kelly. Her dad named her. I don't really know where the name came from."

When their meals arrived they ate in silence. Claudia could tell that Angelica was studying her. She didn't care that the girl was trying to figure her out. It wasn't as if she could. Not even her aunt knew how her mind worked.

"I need to change Hope's diaper. I don't want her to get a rash. She's allergic to the ointments." Claudia agreed that she could change Hope. She wasn't going to make a baby suffer needlessly.

Angelica was happy to see that the restroom only had one toilet. It meant that Claudia couldn't follow her in there without causing suspicion. She was unhappy to find that the restroom didn't have any windows. There was no chance of escape.

When she changed Hope she found a pen and a notebook in the diaper bag. The daycare center required all parents to have those items in the diaper bag so that they can keep records of how often they change the baby and when they eat. She covered the note with her and Hope's fingerprints so Abby can find them and know that they were still alive. She was able to pass the note to the waitress without Claudia noticing. She also dropped a block near their table.

* * *

Laurie Peterson hadn't been working at the diner for more than two weeks. So when a strange teenaged girl with a baby gave her a note and a pleading look, she didn't know what to think. She gasped when she read it and immediately showed it to her boss, George McIntyre, telling him not to touch it with his grease-covered hands.

George took one look at the note and knew that it wasn't a hoax. His son was in the Navy and he told him how NIS found the murderer of one of his buddies. That was in 1991, before the name was changed to NCIS.

He told his waitress, except Laurie, that they were closing early and not to touch the table that the red haired girl had been sitting at. They needed to prevent anyone form contaminating the crime scene. He had seen too many episodes of CSI and knew that cops hated it when a crime scene is tampered with.

He called the number and spoke to Tim McGee. He told the agent about the note and answered some questions.

"Boss, I got a call from Painesville, Ohio, a small town outside of Cleveland. A diner owner, George McIntyre, said that the girls had just left his diner about fifteen minutes ago. They were there with a dark haired woman."

"Could Jeanne Benoit be behind this, Tony?" asked Ziva. She had never trusted that woman... even less when she falsely accused Tony of murder.

"No, Jeanne hated me. She wouldn't hurt an innocent child. I doubt that she knows about Angelica let alone Hope."

"Besides, it can't be her unless she changed her name to Claudia. Angelica left a note with a waitress," said McGee.

"It's not Jeanne. McGee, you're staying here to man the phones. Call Abby and tell her to meet us in the garage. Tony, Ziva, grab your gear. We're going to Ohio." Gibbs turned to Tony. "Our girl is smart, Tony."

All Tony could do was nod in agreement.

* * *

It was ten hours since Angelica and Hope had been kidnapped and one hour since they got the call from George McIntyre in Painesville. Local LEO's were already at the scene collecting prints and talking to anyone that might know anything... not that anyone did know anything. Gibbs and his team were introduced to Laurie and George.

The LEO's thought that it was odd that Tony and Ziva were involved with the case but most of them kept their mouths shut. One of them didn't though.

"She's a bit young to be your sister, isn't she?" one officer said rather callously. It took everything in Tony not to punch the idiot.

"It's none of your business but our father liked to marry his woman young..." Tony stopped talking to the officer and took out his phone. He needed to talk to McGee.

"Probie, I need you to do a favor for me... No, you're not too busy.... Look into marriages from between 1983 and 1984 for Long Island... Yes, my father.... And birth announcements for the same time period... And I need death records as well from 1984 and 1992, my mother may not have been his only victim... No, I don't think I'm asking you to do too much.... I just want answers Probie! So, it's an order." Tony hung up on him.

"What was that about?" asked Gibbs.

_Just an idea on who could have kidnapped the girls, _signed Tony. _She could be the reason why that bastard tried to kill me when I was twelve. _

Gibbs understood what he meant. _He had a new heir. She could be your sister.... But why go after Angelica? She didn't inherit anything_

_I don't think she knows about me. When my mother died I was supposed to have died as well. She thinks that I'm dead and that all the money went to Angelica. She thinks Angelica stole he inheritance. It makes sense._

"Don't assume, Tony. You might be wrong."

"I know. That's why I called McGee to confirm. There would be too many questions if I asked to look for those records at Cleveland's Police Department."

* * *

Abby was one very unhappy forensic scientist. She had access to Cleveland's lab. However, the lab techs thought that she needed to be supervised by people who had only half the experience that she did. It didn't matter to the locals that she had been working at a federal agency for over fifteen years with equipment that they had seen since they were in college. Most of her equipment in Washington a hundred times more sophisticated than anything that they used in Cleveland.

All she needed to use was AFIS. She had DNA from the forks but CODIS would take too long and it wasn't likely that she would get a match using DNA in any case. She already tested the note and found several matches including those from the daycare center but more importantly she found Angelica and Hope's prints on the paper.

Abby also knew that one set of silverware belonged to Angie after she eliminated those that belonged to diner employees and the owner. A few fingerprints hadn't been identified yet from the other set of silverware and Abby knew they were from the kidnapper. She narrowed her criteria to ages 27 to 32 from the descriptions that she got from Laurie.

With all the work done all she could do was wait for results. The worst part was the fact that Ohio never even heard of Caf-Pow. She had to survive on Red Bull but is just didn't have the kick that she needed that her favored drink gave her.

* * *

Angelica knew that it was about nine in the morning when she and Hope had been abducted from the park in Washington D.C. She took a chance to look at the clock, 8:06. Eleven hours.

It was only twenty minutes later when they pulled into the parking lot of a Hilton. This really didn't tell her what city they were in. She had hoped that she would have gotten more clues when they stopped for the night. That clearly wasn't going to happen.

She knew better than to ask where they were. It took her nine hours just to get a name. Her gut told her that she won't know where they going until they got there. There was no way to get a message out.

Claudia pulled her from her thoughts.

"We're in Chicago. I have a friend here that's about your size. She's going to get you clothes. A few days wearing the same thing would make anyone stink.

"I'm not evil, you know? I didn't want to take you. I only took you to get what I deserve."

"Fifteen years in a Federal prison? Because from where I stand that's all you deserve."

"You really don't get it...." There was a knock at the door. "That's Heather. Go take a shower with Hope and don't come out until I say that you can."

* * *

It was nearly midnight when Abby finally got her results. She called Gibbs.

* * *

McGee was tired but he still had to call Tony. He got more information on Tony's father than he got two years prior... then again this wasn't important two years ago.

"Tony, I got what you asked for. Your father married a Micaela Costello six months after your mother's death. They had one daughter..."

* * *

"Claudia DiNozzo, who is the owner of the prints that were found at the diner."

* * *

"She was raised by her aunt, Maria Costello-Keller, in Denver after her mother's death in 1986."

* * *

"She was arrested in 2009 for assaulting a police officer in Las Vegas. The charges were dropped because it was only a week after her father's death. The officer claimed that Ms. DiNozzo needed compassion not prison time."

* * *

"I did some digging and found a wire transfer to the arresting officer bank account from the Caymans for $10,000."

* * *

Claudia woke Angelica's at five the next morning. Usually she had no trouble getting up early. But after not going to bed until after midnight then waking at two to take care of a teething baby and not going back to sleep until three made her not want to get out of bed. Claudia wouldn't allow that. Breakfast was served at 5:30 which meant they had to be downstairs when the doors were opened. They ate in silence mainly because Angelica was too tired to talk.

It was after breakfast when Angelica had her daily dose of caffeine that she started to come up with a plan. There was a gift shop near the front of the hotel.

"May I get a few books?" I have cash on me." She nearly smiled when she saw Claudia nod in consent.

Her plan changed when she saw a petty officer in the tiny shop. She didn't know nor cared why a petty officer was at the gift shop at the Hilton. She just knew that he could help her. She spoke softly so Claudia couldn't hear her.

"Petty officer, I need you to listen to me. I need you to get a message to NCIS agent Anthony DiNozzo in Washington for me. I need you to tell that the woman that kidnapped me doesn't know that I'm leaving breadcrumbs for him but I have to be careful where I leave things."

"What do you mean kidnapped?"

Angelica explained who she was and what happened as fast as she could. "Take Hope and get my brother to Chicago."

"No, come with us. I can protect you."

"I have to go with her. She will come after me again or flee the country to someplace with no extradition treaties and then she'll never be brought to justice. Just protect Hope." She handed the baby to the petty officer and gave her a kiss before collecting the car seat so Claudia wouldn't notice the baby was missing before Angelica wanted her to.

* * *

It was 0645 when Petty Officer Mathew Burnelli walked into his CO's office with a baby on his hip. He had to shift the bay before he could salute. The CO, Kenneth Oliver could only say two words.

"Explain yourself."

And he did with efficiency that is only bred by the military. CO Oliver was shocked by the girl's story. He rarely saw anyone as brave, or as many would see it, stupid as Angelica DiNozzo. She had the chance to escape but didn't just to insure that the woman that took her would see the inside of a prison.

He motioned for the petty officer to follow him. He needed to make a call to Washington and the petty officer could explain everything better than he could. Soon they were talking to Special Agent McGee.

"We have something that belongs in D.C."

* * *

It was early when Gibbs found Tony in the hotel's lobby. Being alone was the last thing Tony needed. Gibbs knew how Tony's mind worked and he needed the younger the younger man to stop sinking in his own despair.

"I should have known something like this would happen. Two years, and other than a few minor incidents, my life was finally going how I wanted it to. I was happy.

"You know I never had a real family. Maybe I'm not supposed to have a family. What did I do to deserve that? Why can't I have family?"

"Tony, listen to me. This is not your fault. You did nothing wrong. The only person to blame for all of this is your father. If he had told Claudia about you she would have known that you were the heir and she would never had gone after the girls. You deserve a family. Never doubt that. You will always have family no matter what."

Just then Gibbs phone rang.

"Yeah... When... Send driving instructions to Abby's PDA." He hung up and there was a smile on his face. "Go get Abby and Ziva. We're going to Chicago to get your little girl back."

"Angelica and Hope are in Chicago?" That was unexpected.

"Only Hope. Angelica managed to get lucky again and met a petty officer at the Hilton. She gave him instructions to contact us.

"This proves you deserve a family. You got Hope back."

* * *

It didn't take Claudia long to realize Angelica no longer had Hope. The baby was teething; there was no way she would have been quiet for so long if she was still there. She didn't let Angelica know she knew Hope was gone.

The teen had to be punished. She couldn't do it with so many other cars around. There would be too many witnesses. She would have to wait. The raid would soon be clear.

An hour later it was.

Claudia roughly pulled Angelica from the car and pushed her to the pavement. Angelica's hands started to bleed. She tried to get up but Claudia kicked her down. She looked at the woman and felt the same fear that she had been trying to forget for the past two years. She felt the same fear she felt whenever she was in the same room as her father. It was the same fear that dictated her life for over sixteen years.

"What did you do?" yelled Claudia. Angelica refused to answer. "Where's the baby?" she kicked her again. "Tell me Angelica or I'll—"

"Or what? You'll kill me? You need me. I don't know why. I don't even know who you are. I'm only eighteen!"

"Yes, eighteen and legally old enough to finally give back what you stole from me."

"I never stole from anyone much less a psycho I have never even met!"

"Shut up!" she kicked her again and she landed in the muddy ditch. "Just shut up! I've had it with your lies! Stop lying! Tell me who has Hope."

"I don't know who has her now," lied Angelica. "I left her in the gift hoping that the cashier would take her to the police." That was her original plan before she met the petty officer.

The answer seemed to satisfy Claudia since she didn't kick her again. She opened the truck and pulled out a length of rope. She tied it around Angelica's wrists.

"Liars get punished, Angelica. I was good to you and you lied to me." Claudia easily lifted the small teen out of the ditch even though she did struggle and put her in the trunk. Before closing her in she forced her to swallow a pill.

* * *

Ziva raced through the hall of the naval base with Tony behind her. It had been far too long since she held her Hope. The door to the room that Hope was in flew open with a bang. Hope turned her tiny head toward the noise. "Mama! Dada!" she squealed in delight when recognized Ziva and Tony. She squirmed in a petty officer's arms as she reached for Ziva.

Ziva scooped Hope into her arms and held her close. She began to murmur soothingly in Hebrew. Tony stood close with a hand on Hope at all times. It was as though he was reassuring himself that his baby was still there.

"What happened?" asked Tony

For the third time that day Burnelli told his story.

* * *

Gibbs knew that the case wasn't closed. They still had to find Angelica and capture the woman that did this. He understood why Angelica went with Claudia even though he didn't like it. But he was proud. She took care of Hope under impossible circumstances and made sure that she was safe. At the same time she took risks that helped insure that they find her.

She was just like Tony.

That worried Gibbs. He hated the idea of Angelica getting into more dangerous situations. But she's a DiNozzo and danger seemed to be attracted to the Antonio DiNozzo's children like the plague. He winced at his thoughts.

He heard her talking to Ziva about applying to FLETC when she graduated from college or during her senior year. He knew that she would make a great cop some day. He just didn't know if that was what she really wanted to do with her life.

But first they had to get Angelica back before they could worry about college let alone FLETC.

* * *

McGee was frustrated. He assigned himself to do a more thorough background check on Claudia DiNozzo. He couldn't find anything useful. She went to Stanford and got a 3.8 GPA. She majored in business but she never used it. She never had a job. She didn't have a bank account. When her aunt died she withdrew everything. She paid for everything in cash. Her last remaining relative, other than her siblings, died in May. She was murdered in her own home and the killed didn't leave a trace. He called LAPD to get the case files.

While he waited for those to be faxed McGee dug a little deeper. He had to get down to the legal department... he had a medical file from 1999 that he had to get unsealed.

* * *

Angelica had no way of knowing how long she was unconscious. She refused to call it sleep because sleep is voluntary. Now she was full aware of what was going on around her.

The car wasn't moving. She couldn't hear the engine. Claudia must be eating. She wasn't hungry but that could be a side affect of the drug she was forced to take. She tried to remember any legal or illegal drugs that would make her feel the way she felt but she couldn't think of any. Seconal or Rohynol were common enough and easy to get your hands if you ask the right people. Heather must have one of those right people. But in reality, she knew it could have been anything.

It wasn't long until the car started again. She had no sense of direction going west could have been a ruse and they could be going anywhere now. Her gut was telling her west.

Angelica suddenly rolled when Claudia harshly stepped on the breaks. She resisted the urge to cry out in pain. It was what Claudia wanted... to hear her scream. And if she screamed she would have reason to punish her.

She opened the trunk.

"I see that you are awake. That's going to be a problem for me. It takes more oxygen to keep you alive if your awake. So I'm going to give you something that's a little stronger that that treat I gave you earlier." She injected Angelica and she instantly lost consciousness. "Nighty- night, sister dear."

* * *

Legal wasn't the easiest department to get along with. They seemed to get in the way of investigations. This time was no different. McGee requested that they get a warrant for the sealed medical records. Since Claudia was a civilian with no ties to the Navy, Legal needed proof that Angelica was kidnapped by her. McGee had that proof. They also needed proof that the file was relevant to the case. McGee didn't have that. He had no way of knowing what was in that file.

"That file might contain information on where Claudia DiNozzo might go. It could show evidence of past aggressive behavior or a mental illness."

"It might also be something simple as a teen pregnancy that DiNozzo wanted to cover up."

"She kidnapped an eighteen-year-old girl and a baby that isn't even one yet. I think that warrants a look into any type of lead that we have. Right now all we have is that file."

"I'll take it to a judge. I won't guarantee that I will get a warrant but I will try. I'll be sure to stress the gravity of the situation."

Two hours later the warrant was signed, Ryan was settled in with Ducky, and McGee and Palmer were on a plane to Los Angeles without Abby knowing that they were going.

* * *

Gibbs sent Abby and Ziva hack to Washington with Hope. Tony wanted to go with them but he was needed in Chicago. They had to find someone that might know where Claudia would go. The Hilton staff was helpful despite the fact that they wanted to get the room ready for another guest. They even called in the night shift so Gibbs didn't have to track them down himself. One woman that worked at the desk was especially helpful.

"One of out regulars, Ms. Shaffer, asked what room Ms. DiNozzo was staying in. She came with a suite case but left without it."

"Do you have her address?" asked Tony.

"Sure, I need to look it up. I can' look up Ms. DiNozzo's address for you as well."

"Do it!" barked Gibbs.

She left and came back with two pieces of paper. On one page was Shaffer's address. Gibbs told Tony to put the address in his PDA.

"Tony?" Gibbs looked up from the seconded page to Tony. He read the page from over Gibbs' shoulder.

"That's my address. She's been stalking Angelica."

"Call Ziva. Tell her that she's staying at my place with the kids."

* * *

The flight to LA was horrible. McGee should have known that Jimmy was a nervous flier. He visibly paled when the plane took off. After that he couldn't stop talking... he was reminded vividly of Tony when he was nervous. McGee was glad that only aisle seats were available. He feared that Jimmy would have gotten sick if he went anywhere near a window.

He wasn't sure why he was told to fly all the way to LA. The file easily could have been faxed to him. The LA NCIS office could have picked it up for him. But no. He was the one that issued the warrant so he had to be one to pick up the file from the doctor. Jimmy wasn't really needed but Gibbs would have killed him if he went to LA alone.

They had a two-hour layover but they agreed the neither of them would open the file until they got back to Washington.

* * *

Heather Shaffer was exactly the type of girl Tony went after during his skirt chasing days, young, blonde, and more beauty than brains. Though Gibbs wouldn't have called her stupid. She has a Master's degree in Prehistory and by the books on her table she was going for her doctorate. She just had no clue what she was going to do once she finished school. In the past minutes they learned more about Mesopotamia than Ducky learned in his whole life. Tony knew that Heather was babbling because she was nervous. He just had to find a way to get her to focus on Claudia and not the multiple ways the people of Ur knew how to kill each other.

"Ms. Shaffer, do know where we can find Claudia DiNozzo." Tony didn't give her his last name in case she made a connection.

"You don't contact Claudia. Claudia calls you. I keep my address and phone number unlisted and only give my cell number to my family. Claudia still managed to find me.

"I've known her since preschool and even then I was terrified of her. But she wanted be to be her friend because Claudia gets what Claudia wants. Always. When we were eleven I got a kitten for my birthday. She wanted it and I was more than willing to give it to her. My mother on the other hand said no. A week later my kitten was dead, someone hung her from a tree. I have no proof but I know Claudia did it.

"She disappeared during our sophomore year in high school. Some kids thought that her father finally took her in. I don't believe that. She came back before senior year started."

Tony and Gibbs left with more questions than answers.

* * *

Claudia smiled as she entered Denver. It's been ten years since she came home. Her aunt kept the manor even when they moved to California and had a maid clean once a month so dust and cobwebs didn't destroy the home. But no one had been there since Maria died a few months ago.

The dust didn't bother her too much. They weren't staying. It brought back too many bad memories just being in the house. Those memories were meant to stay buried.

This place hadn't felt like for a very long time. No where she went felt like home. Except for two years when she was a teenager, Claudia had always lived with her Aunt Maria. But that was when she felt least at home. It was all Maria's fault.

Claudia wanted to create the feeling of home with Angelica but the girl refused to cooperate and fought her every step of the way. It was almost as though Angelica didn't know that they were sisters. But that was impossible. Their father would have told Angelica about her. He told her that he did. He wouldn't lie to her. Everyone lies but father never lied.

She would get Angelica to trust her. It was what she wanted and she always get what she wants of there would be consequences.

* * *

It was 0200 when the plane landed at Dulles. Palmer, thankfully, had taken a mild sleeping pill and slept all the way home. He needed the rest if he was going to read the medical file and report to Gibbs. He took notes and had Ducky confirm them that he was right before he made that call.

At 0700 he called Gibbs and asked him to put him on speaker phone so Tony could hear as well.

"Claudia DiNozzo was placed in a mental hospital when she was 16 by her aunt. She stayed there for two years. They kept her heavily sedated for hours at a time due to her volatile nature. But everyone thought that they were her best friend no matter how violent she was with them. Ms. DiNozzo was never diagnosed and if she was it was never placed in her file.

"What do you think she has?" asked Tony.

"While Jimmy made extensive notes, I can only be sure after I get a chance to talk to her."

"Ducky," prodded Gibbs.

"I believe that she is a sociopath, Jethro. You must be careful around her. She doesn't accept rejection or disobedience very well."

"What would she do to Angelica for giving Hope to Petty Officer Burnelli?"

"It depends on what she knows. Best case scenario other than nothing is a beating."

"Worst case?"

"Understand that as long as Angelica is useful this scenario is very unlikely it would happen."

"Worst case scenario!"

Ducky took a deep breath. "Death."

"What are my chances of seeing my sister alive again?"

"With Leroy Jethro Gibbs one your side, I would say that they are very high."

* * *

Angelica was tired, cold, and sick. She couldn't remember what happened the day before. Something happened to her hands. She couldn't remember what happened but they were hurting and covered in dry blood.

She was drugged. She didn't remember being drugged but that wasn't important. She knew the side effects. Tim and Sarah made sure of that. Memory loss is a major sign that something wasn't right.

As far as Angelica could tell she didn't have any serious injures. Her ribs were sore but they felt like they were bruised not broken. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

It wasn't long until she was released. Claudia gave her a glass of orange juice. That put Angelica's instincts on high alert. Her gut was yelling at her not to trust the woman. She was probably trying to induce Stockholm Syndrome. She had a technique so she must have done it successfully before. Angelica had to focus on the fact that she shouldn't trust anyone but her true family.

It was still dark when they left the house. This was the first time she saw the license plate number. She had no way to write it down so she committed it to memory. She also saw that they were California plates. She really hoped they weren't going to Los Angeles.

Claudia put her in the back seat. This didn't surprise her. Being put in the trunk was punishment. And now she was no longer being punished. It was another way to force Angelica to trust her captor.

She was a little surprised they left the car seat behind.

* * *

McGee was once again frustrated. He gave up trying to find more information on Claudia. Instead he focused on the aunt. Maria Keller married Thomas Keller when she was only 19. Mrs. Keller was 15 years younger than her husband so it was no surprise that she was a widow before she was 30... though the cause of Thomas' death wasn't clear in the initial search. She inherited her husband's fortune and in turn left it to Claudia, her only remaining blood relative.

Then McGee found something useful and called Gibbs.

"Boss, Claudia's aunt owned several properties. Most of them were overseas or in Canada. However, she has tour out west. One in Denver and three in California. One is near Stanford and the other two are in Los Angeles. The director is already in MTAC with the other branches informing them of the situation. He has a plane waiting for you at O' Hare. He wants you to go to Denver before heading out to LA.

"Good job McGee. Call me when you have more."

* * *

The last time Tony was in Denver he was twelve. The thin atmosphere barely fazed his young lungs. Now, his plague-scarred lungs had him wheezing for oxygen. He took deep breaths when he thought Gibbs wasn't looking.

"Tony, are you ok?" asked Gibbs. He heard every wheeze.

"I'm fine." He gave him a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Gibbs didn't fall for it. "I'm a little short of breath but it's not a problem."

Tony was quiet on the drive to Maria Keller's manor. Gibbs accepted that Tony didn't want to talk. It must be hard to go to the first place that he considered home. The house was quiet when they arrived. They knew the house was empty but they had to check anyways. They quickly confirmed that every room was clear. Tony called McGee and told him to put him on speaker while he did the same.

"The place is clear McGee. Z, I found Hope's car seat."

"Tony, do you smell that?" Tony dropped the phone as he followed Gibbs out of the manor. The last thing he remembered before everything went black was Gibbs calling his name as he flew through the air.

* * *

The bullpen went quiet after they heard the explosion. Ziva and McGee thinking- praying- that they got out in time. They were fine. They had to be.

Then they burst into action.

"Can you get a location on Gibbs or Tony's phones?" asked Ziva as she dialed Gibbs number.

"Denver is too far. I can't get anything further than 500 miles. Keep calling Gibbs' cell."

"I'm getting a busy signal." That gave Ziva some much needed hope.

"He's calling for help. He'll call us when he can."

Just then Abby entered the bullpen. She didn't have anything to do down in the lab. "What's going on?"

Ziva and McGee only looked at the other not knowing what to say.

* * *

Gibbs called for help as soon as he heard Tony's wheezing breaths. It took awhile to get dispatch to believe that NCIS was a real agency. It was even harder to convince the woman that a house that they were investigating had just blown up. He hung up on her just as she was telling him to stay on the line. He had more important things to do... waking up his senior field agent was just on of those things.

"Hey, Tony. You with me son?"

"On your six, Dad." Gibbs gave him a slight smile.

"Good. Sit rep?" He needed to check Tony's recent memory before asking anything else. He wasn't even sure if Tony had recovered all his memories from when he got amnesia two years ago.

"We are in Denver and the house we were in blew up. I need a new phone."

"That's the third one this year. Concussion?"

"Obama, 2011, iguana, coffee, Thursday. No double vision."

"Iguana?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to an explanation for that. it wasn't part of their concussion check.

"Gitmo."

He handed Tony his phone. "Call your wife."

"Hey, Z. We need to get a new car seat for Hope."

Gibbs blocked out the rest of the conversation. The firefighters and police had finally arrived. The Chief of Police walked over to Gibbs who was sitting next to Tony who was still lying on the ground.

"What are two NCIS agents from Washington doing all the way out here in Colorado?" Gibbs explained all that he had to. If he hadn't lived through it all he wouldn't have believed half of what happened during the past two years... or a better description would be from the time he met Tony back in Baltimore ten years ago.

"Love you too, Z," he wheezed as he ended the call. "Abby wants all evidence sent to her... including the car seat. Ziva wants to kill with a paper clip for dropping my phone. She hasn't decided which method she would prefer. And the Probie has something to tell me that he wants to tell me in person. Something's aren't meant to be said over the phone." He wheezed more heavily.

"Are you alright?" asked the chief.

"He's fine. Can I trust you to send everything to Washington?"

"Yeah. Kidnapping trumps personal arson. Just give me a call. I want to know how that ends."

They knew that they would arrive in LA before Angelica and Claudia. So they went to the mental hospital Claudia spent two years in. They didn't know if they would find anything there that wasn't in the file. They didn't even know if the staff was the same or if they remembered her.

They did learn that Claudia's father signed her out before they could help her. Her file was sealed as soon as she left the hospital.

* * *

Claudia was furious. Both of her houses were being watched. No one was supposed to notice Angelica was missing. No one on notices orphans or abandoned children. No one ever noticed her unless she forced them to.

Yet, someone noticed Angelica. Someone knew that she was missing. Some cared about her.

That confused Claudia.

Somehow someone linked Angelica's disappearance to Claudia. It had to be Angelica's fault because she never made mistakes. Mistakes were made by lesser people, not DiNozzo's.

And when the time was right Angelica would pay for what she did. She had to be punished. She had to understand that the punishments were for her own good. They would teach her how to behave properly. The DiNozzo family had an image that needed to be repaired and that couldn't happen if Angelica insisted on behaving the way she did.

She pulled into the first motel she saw. The cops would look for her at the five star hotels that she was accustomed to.

"What no Hilton?" snarled Angelica. Claudia turned and slapped her across her face. She knew she shouldn't have said anything but for two years she had been encouraged to speak her mind.

"I'm going to get a room. You are going to stay here but I don't trust you to not try something. I'm going to tie you to the seat in front of you," Claudia's voice was cold and it sent shivers down Angelica's spine.

Angelica's hands were tied behind her back. A second rope was placed tightly around her neck and was securely tied to the seat. She was on her stomach so she couldn't see how it was done.

When Claudia left she tried to loosen the rope around her wrists. But all that did was chafe her skin. There was no one around so it was pointless to scream for help. She couldn't save herself.

Claudia got a room with a single twin sized bed. The girl could sleep on the floor as part of her punishment. She didn't deserve a bed. The room was small. The dresser also served as the TV stand. She tied her to the dresser making sure to keep the leash short to prevent her from getting to the phone.

"The cops are staking out my houses. Care to explain that?"

"Tony." She said that softly but Claudia still heard her.

"Who's Tony?"

She had to choose her words carefully. "Hope's father."

"And what does he do for a living?"

Angelica didn't answer. This angered Claudia and she slapped the girl harder that she did in the car. "Answer me!"

"He's NCIS."

"What's NCIS?"

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service."

"He's a cop?"

"No," she paused, "He's a federal agent.

"What is he to you?" She was beginning to suspect Hope wasn't Angelica's daughter.

Again she had to choose her words carefully. "He's family." She was slapped again.

"I'm your only family."

"What? I don't understand."

"Father would have told you about me. He told me that he did. I'm your sister. I'm your family."

"I didn't know!"

She ignored her. "Tomorrow this will be over." She forced another pill down Angelica's throat and everything went black.

* * *

Ducky and Palmer went over the autopsy report McGee had given to Jimmy well past midnight. According to the report Maria Keller was shot five times in the chest with a .22 at point blank range. The kill shot went through her heart and went between her ribs without breaking a single bone.

The Medical Examiner in LA declared it a homicide at the scene. But the angle that the bullets made Palmer doubt that the shooter was as close as the ME believed.

"Doctor, what do you make of this?" he asked as he passed Ducky as sheet of paper.

"Mrs. Keller was shot from a staircase... or a balcony." Ducky remembered seeing one in a crime scene photo. He had to call McGee.

"Timothy, did the police report mention anything about a forced entry on the upper floor... None... I believe the victim was shot from the balcony. It wasn't a robbery so our shooter would not have needed to gone up there... Yes Timothy, Claudia DiNozzo may have killed her aunt. It fits the profile of a sociopath.... She must not have needed anymore... Thank you, Timothy."

* * *

Angelica was shocked awake when Claudia threw water on her. She felt her shoulder dislocate when she jerked forward. Her scream was muffled by the towel that was in her mouth.

She had eaten anything since the diner in Ohio. She wasn't hungry but she knew that she should have been ravenous. It had to be he drug. The mere thought of eating made her ill. She didn't like that at all. Even with her special diet she ate regularly.

"We have a meeting with my lawyer at noon. That's when he has lunch but he agreed to see us." She said this before placing a piece of toast under Angelica's nose. She willed herself not to get sick. "He will clear everything up and will finally get my share of Father's will.

Angelica didn't understand. Why would Claudia need her? She didn't get anything either. Tony inherited everything. It did belong to his mother. She would need Tony's signature not hers.

"Aunt Maria told me to leave you alone. The DiNozzo fortune wasn't worth the aggravation. It is worth it because it belongs to me."

* * *

Tony suddenly woke when a hand made contact with the back of his head. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep. He was glad he did even though he was on a stakeout with Gibbs.

"Have a good nap?" Tony relaxed when he realized that Gibbs was more amused that angry.

"Uh, yeah, Boss. You should have kept me awake. We're on a stakeout and I was supposed to help you watch the house... not that you aren't capable of watching a house. I'm just... I'm going shut up now."

"Tony, I was never going to let you stay up all night. If you hadn't fallen asleep by 0100 I wasn't going to give you one of those sleeping pills that Brad Pitt insists that I need."

Tony changed the subject. "Claudia isn't going to come here."

"Want to check out some of the five star hotels?" asked Gibbs as he turned on the car.

He thought about for a moment and shook his head. "No, that would be pointless and a waste of time. I think she knows that we're onto her. She would have gone to one of her houses otherwise. She'll go to a motel. She's going to move on tonight... without Angelica."

"Where would she go?"

"I don't know. Some place that we can't extradite her."

"We should get something to eat. You think better on a full stomach."

Tony smirked. "You need coffee." That earned him another head slap. "Thank you, Boss."

Gibbs managed to find a _Denny's_. It was probably the only place for miles that served what Gibbs would consider real coffee.

Tony brought in a spare blank notebook. He wrote down everything about the case that he knew was fact, which wasn't much, and everything that they were assuming. By the time Gibbs was on his third cup of coffee, Tony was done. He had written down a lot of questions.

"Why would Claudia drive cross county twice? McGee couldn't find any evidence of a plane ticket."

"Maybe she had a gun. It would be easier to travel with a gun in a car than on a plane... even one that's privately owned. Angelica has been training with Ziva on basic defense. If Claudia had a gun she wouldn't know how to protect Hope without risking getting either of them killed."

"Why did she take Angie?" He knew that they already went over that but hearing it again might give him ideas.

"You still believe that she's after money?"

"Lawyer. Claudia would need a damn lawyer. We know she like to take risks. We should call McGee and see if he can find out who the lawyer is. Looks like were about to break one of your rules."

* * *

It was 11:20 when Claudia told Angelica it was time to leave. She was once again in the back seat. The towel was still in her mouth and her hands were tied in front of her. Ziva had taught he how to escape. It was a simple knot that took her only a few minutes to undo. Ziva would have been proud.

The car wasn't locked. As soon as Claudia slowed down enough that jumping wouldn't hurt she opened the door. Angelica landed on her feet and began to run as fast as she could as soon as the towel was out of her mouth. She had always been a fast runner like Tony but the drugs were still in her system and were slowing her down.

She did want Claudia in jail but the beatings weren't worth putting herself through. Tony and the others would be able to catch her. There was no way she would be able to leave the country. There was too much evidence against her. And if Tony couldn't find her, her dad would.

Angelica was pulled from her thoughts as she realized Claudia was behind her. The older woman was panting from exertion. She felt her hair being pulled.

She was steered toward a building that was only a block away. It was the lawyer's office. The secretary was gone so Claudia just entered the main office without knocking. The man behind the desk didn't look like any of the lawyers she had met with her father or was introduced to that were from JAG. He was a nerd that made Jimmy look like the most popular person she had ever met. His name was Spencer Grant.

"Claudia, I know you have an appointment, but what brings you to LA? I thought you spent your summers up north."

"I have found my sister, Angelica, the DiNozzo heir." Claudia said that as if it were to be something to be proud of. "She has agreed to give me a share of the DiNozzo fortune."

Mr. Grant looked at her through his think glasses. "You are eighteen?"

"My birthday is January 16, 1993.

"Where have you been the last two years? I don't believe you were in foster care. There would have been a record of it."

Angelica looked at Claudia. What she was about to say was going to be her death sentence. "I've been living with Anthony DiNozzo in Washington DC. He's our older brother from Antonio's first wife, Elizabeth. I'm not the heir. Tony is. Claudia never gave me a chance to explain that."

Claudia pulled out a gun but Mr. Grant didn't notice. "Is there any way for me to get access to the money?"

"I'm sorry Claudia. I'm hands are tied until I get Anthony DiNozzo's signature."

"Wrong answer." Angelica realized what she was about to do and covered her ears. A shot rang out and Mr. Grant fell to the ground. Angelica for some reason looked at the clock. It read 12:13.

Without knowing how she got there, Angelica found herself back at the car. She also didn't notice the needle before it was too late and everything went black.

* * *

McGee didn't get the name of the lawyer, Spencer Grant, to Tony and Gibbs until 1214. From their location it only a fifteen-minute drive with Gibbs behind the wheel.

Tony's gut was churning. He had to get to that office soon or a lot of people were going to die. He didn't know why he felt that way. It didn't make sense.

The secretary tried to prevent the agents from going into the office. She stopped when she saw her boss covered in his own blood clutching his shoulder weakly crying out for help. Gibbs wasted no time in calling an ambulance.

Tony checked the office for a clue, hoping to see one of Hope's blocks. He didn't find a block. "Boss, we got a bomb over here! It has twenty-one minutes left on it."

Tony pulled the fire alarm to evacuate the building and the ones on either side as they were connected to each other before calling in the special weapons and tactics unit. He really wished Ziva was with them. No one disarm a bomb as fast as her.

The timer read fifteen minutes when the SWAT team arrived. The ambulance had already come and gone with Grant. Tony and Gibbs were forced to leave the building. The LEO's were pestering them with questions. Gibbs wouldn't let them anywhere near Tony and said that everything was classified, including their identities. He didn't want them to try to take over his case. He did say that the bomb was related to an ongoing federal investigation and all evidence had to be sent to NCIS headquarters in Washington D.C.

Barely five minutes had passed when the SWAT team came running out with shields in front of their bodies. The bomb went off before everyone was clear. A few men were thrown back by the force of the explosion One man was tossed straight into Tony. Fortunately the man had dropped his shield. Tony landed heavily with the larger man sitting on his chest. It took three men to pull the unconscious man off from him. Gibbs was by his side checking for injuries and once again did a concussion check that he did the day before.

"I really hate explosions. Have I reached my quota yet?"

"It's only June. We have four more before you reach quota, Tony?" joked Gibbs.

"This happens to you often?" asked a SWAT team member.

"Often isn't the word I would use." answered Tony.

Gibbs interrupted the conversation. "What happened in there?" he barked, leaving no doubt that the other man had to answer.

"We managed to disarm to bomb but it had some kind of fail safe that we didn't recognize and set the bomb to go off after only one minute."

* * *

For three days the only family member Ryan had regularly seen was Ducky. Ziva had called him and told him that they had Hope back but unless she was sleeping Ziva was at the office with Hope. She did call every few hours but it wasn't the same. He wanted his family back to normal as possible.

What he wanted the most was to talk to his dad. He knew that Grandpa wouldn't mind him using his phone. Though dad would probably pay for the call.

"Gibbs."

"Grandpa, is Dad ok? I saw him getting blown up on TV."

"He's with the paramedics.... Were you watching ZNN?"

He was busted. He knew better than to lie. "Yes."

"What's the rule?"

"DiNozzo family rule number 19: Ryan is not allowed to watch ZNN without adult supervision not including Ducky because he falls asleep in front of the TV."

"Your dad needs to shorten his rules."

"Can I talk to him?" He heard the phone being passed on. He also heard Grandpa tell Dad that he had been watching ZNN.

"Ryan?"

"Dad, when are you coming home?"

"Soon. I just have to find Angie first. She's here in LA."

"I miss you."

"I miss you too. Tell Ziva to come home for dinner— Ow, must you poke me while I'm on the phone with my kid — Sorry, Rye."

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, kiddo. Just a little bruised. I had 260 pounds land on my chest. You're grounded by the way. No TV, no phone, and no computer."

"Three days?" he asked hopefully.

"A week— OW! That's the same place you poked last time. My ribs are fine— I gotta go, Ryan. I'll call you as soon as I know I'm coming home."

* * *

The paramedic let Tony go when a he blatantly told him that unless he was dying he wasn't going to the hospital. Aside from a few deep bruises there wasn't anything wrong with him.

They were losing time. He had a sinking felling that they had to find Angelica soon or he would never see her alive again. Tony wouldn't be able to live with himself if his sister was killed. This wasn't going to be the same as losing Kate, Paula, or Jenny. They all died in the line of duty. They all died protecting their country. Angelica was an innocent.

Tony suddenly had a sense of déjà vu.

"Boss, I've been here before," he said so that only Gibbs could hear him

"I know that, Tony." Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"I meant that I have been to this office before. One of my father's lawyers was a Laurence Grant. I know Grant is a common name but I also know how you feel about coincidences. I can't remember everything but I would bet anything that Spencer is his son. We were eight when we were forced to spend two weeks together at....

"I need to use your phone again." Gibbs handed him the phone.

"Probie! When you were doing research on my family did you notice any west coast properties... You have half an hour to find it."

"What was that about?"

"Just a memory."

* * *

Angelica couldn't move when she opened her eyes. She also had no idea where she was or how she go there. She realized she had been drugged again. She was getting sick of it. Losing her memory was starting to get old.

"You know I didn't want to hurt you," cooed Claudia. Angelica said nothing. "You didn't give me a choice. Lying is bad and you lied to me the whole time you were with me. This isn't my fault. It's yours because I don't make mistakes. If you had told me the truth from the beginning none of this would have happened."

Angelica didn't know what lie she was talking about. She was protecting herself with each one.

"We don't have a brother. He died thirty years ago. He was murdered along side his slut of a mother."

"Tony is alive. He was put into Witness Protection. Father wanted him dead but there wasn't any proof until a few years ago."

Claudia ignored her. "I wanted to be your family. That can't be possible now."

* * *

Abby did her best to find out what caused the first explosion. The evidence wasn't telling her anything. All she could tell was that the gas was somehow distributed throughout the entire house from a central point, most likely the living room.

She had nothing to tell the boss when he finally decided to call her... or as the case may be when he got back. She hated not being able to tell him anything. It didn't help that she didn't have any crime scene photos of the manor from before the explosion. They were destroyed when Tony's phone blew up with everything else.

"Hey Abby. Do you need any help?" asked McGee who was bringing her a Caf-Pow.

"No... yeah. I can't figure out what caused the gas to ignite." She took a long sip from her drink.

McGee looked at the photos that were on the plasma. He squinted at on of them. He then typed in a code to zoom in before stepping closer to the screen.

"What does that look like?"

"Bricks. Maybe from a fireplace. It could have been an electric one with a timer on it. House fills with gas, fireplace turns on, and then kaboom! I can't believe that I missed that."

"But why would she blow up the manor?"

"Because she could. Does it really matter? The woman is a lunatic. No one had been in that house since Maria Keller died. Gibbs and Tony weren't supposed to be there. She probably didn't have a very good childhood."

"Neither did Tony but he turn into a homicidal sociopath."

"No, he's the normal kind of crazy." Sarcasm was dripping from his voice.

"Exactly! Just like the rest of us. I'm guessing you have a project Tony has assigned you. I'll order Chinese then we can get to work."

McGee glanced at his watch. "We have twenty-three minutes to figure it out."

Abby sighed. "Forget the Chinese."

* * *

When Claudia left it made Angelica realize that she was going to die. She was tied to a pier that was likely to be in the middle of nowhere. The ocean was rising, preparing for high tide. The wood behind her back was moist. She was going to drown. Tony wasn't going to save her. It was impossible for him to know where she was. She didn't even know where she was.

And the water rose higher.

* * *

McGee and Abby worked their way through the endless list of properties that Tony owned to find something that was on the west coast. They were getting nowhere with their search.

"There has to be an easier way to do this!" cried Abby in frustration. "We only have eight minutes left before we have to check in with Tony."

"I know." Then McGee got one of his brilliant ideas. He put up a world map on the plasma.

"Where are you going with this?"

"Bear with me on this. I know what I'm doing." He put in a bunch of codes so that the properties would show up on the map as pinpoints.

"Why does Tony own property in Antarctica?" asked Abby.

"Focus Abbs!"

"Sorry." She grinned sheepishly. "Zoom in on North America."

"I know Abby. This is my idea." He zoomed in twice more. Once over California and again over everything that was within a hundred miles of Los Angeles. He had five locations.

McGee called Tony. He was a minute late.

* * *

Tony had the locations in his PDA before he hung up. One was the lawyer's office that was just blown up. Two were in residential areas. The closest of the remaining two was an ocean view mansion that was forty-five minutes away. The other was a warehouse twenty minutes away from the mansion.

He just knew that his sister was at the mansion even though he didn't have proof. The warehouse would have been a more logical hideout because it was less likely for anyone to know about it. That also meant that Claudia was less likely to know about it.

Tony vaguely remembered the mansion and the two weeks he spent there with some kid he didn't even know. His father and his lawyer was making some kind of business deal that he wasn't interested in. Other than that he couldn't remember anything about the place.

"I'll check the house. You go down to the pier. Stay out of the water unless you are 100% positive that she's in there."

"Don't worry boss. You know I only go diving with you."

"DiNozzo!"

"Right. Going. Gone. Just keep an eye out for explosives."

* * *

The water was nearly to Angelica's head when she heard footsteps above her. They weren't the light casual steps she associated with Claudia. It was running.

"Help! Help me!" she yelled as loud as she could.

"Hold on, Angie! I'm coming!"

"TONY!"

"I have to jump at the end of the pier where the water is deeper. Do go anywhere!"

"Where would I go?" she coughed up some water. "Hurry!"

Tony ran to the end of the pier and dove into the ocean after taking out his knife. Once again he was thankful for Gibbs' Rule Nine. It was about to save Angelica's life. He swam back to where she was with the knife between his teeth. A dozen movie references was going through his mind... most of them involved pirates.

"Dad's going to kill you, Tony," said Angelica as she tried to keep her head above the water.

"Is that greet all of your rescuers?"

"I don't know. This is my first time."

"How far down are you tied?"

"Ankle. Hurry up." She took a deep breath and the water went over her head.

Tony knew Angelica could hold her breath longer that he could. He began to hack at the thick rope. He barely made a dent in it when he went back up for air. When he came back down he gave Angelica a mouthful of oxygen. He had to go back up again for his own oxygen without cutting any more of the rope. He needed Gibbs or Angelica was going to die. He could only breathe for the both of them for so long. His lungs wouldn't allow it. He dove back to Angelica to give her more oxygen. Her eyes were closed but he gave her it to her anyways. She accepted the oxygen but she was obviously growing weaker.

When he went back up he heard a splash. Gibbs finally arrived.

"How is she?"

"Weak. I have to force her to take oxygen."

"I'll breathe for her. Cut her free as fast as you can."

They both went down. Tony began to cut away at the ropes again. He only went up when his lungs felt as though they were ready to burst. He was nearly done when Gibbs motioned for him to go to the surface.

"I'm almost done." He sounded as tough he could hardly breathe.

"Good because she stopped accepting oxygen."

Tony dove back in and Gibbs followed. Angelica was soon freed from the ropes. Gibbs held her small body close to his chest as he went back to the surface. As soon as his head was above the water he began checking her vitals. He pulse was slow and weak but steady.

"She's not breathing!"

"We can't do anything for her in the water," panted Tony heavily.

Gibbs started CPR when he finally was able to lay her on dry ground. He sent Tony to get his phone while she was pumping Angelica's chest. He wasn't going to lose another child.

The ground shook beneath him as he experienced yet another explosion. Thankfully, Tony was right next to him as the mansion blew.

* * *

Two hours had passed since McGee had last spoken to Tony. The Director had ordered them all home when he found them crowded around McGee's desk. Now the remaining members of team was at Gibbs' house waiting. They were all thinking the same thing... they should have called by now.

Ziva was pacing the living room with Hope on her hip. Once in a while she would mutter something in one of the other eight languages that she knew. Most of them sounded like threats. For that reason Jimmy stayed as far from her as possible. She nearly stepped on him twice.

Ducky was making his forth pot of tea. Where it came from was anyone's guess. Gibbs didn't keep tea in his house even though it was the preferred drink over his special blend of coffee. The only other person than Ducky drinking it was Jimmy.

McGee and Abby were staring at the phone. No one knew the last time Abby actually blinked. She was starting to scare people. Every few minutes she would demand the phone to ring.

* * *

The beeping was driving Gibbs crazy. There was nothing wrong with him. He tried to tell the nurse that but all she did was put an oxygen mask over his mouth and had him restrained to the bed when he attempted to remove it. He was being a little volatile but they wouldn't listen to him.

All he wanted was information on Tony and Angelica. He lost his badge and identification somewhere in the ocean. So unless he could prove that he was on the emergency contact list for the two DiNozzos, he wasn't going to get any info.

Tony had passed out in the ambulance before he could tell the paramedics that he had the plague. Gibbs tried to tell the doctors before he was rudely muzzled. He knew that they weren't giving Tony the antibiotics that he sorely needed because they weren't giving him any antibiotics.

It wasn't until half an hour later that a doctor came to see him. Gibbs didn't even give the doctor a chance to speak once the mask was removed.

"Anthony DiNozzo, how is he?"

"I can't discuss―"

"Don't give me that crap. He had the plague back in '05. He's high risk for pneumonia. You doing anything to prevent that from happening?"

The doctor only paled and ran out of Gibbs' room. Gibbs let out a deep sigh. He was still strapped to the bed. It had to be illegal to keep him tied up. Ten minutes later the doctor came back and Gibbs was relishing in the fact that he had full feeling in his hands again. He resisted every temptation to punch the man. He still didn't know his name.

"Can you tell where I can reach Ziva DiNozzo, Mr. Gibbs?" He mispronounced her first name as ZI-vah, not Zee-vah. "We can't seem to reach her at either number provided."

"First, her name is Zee-vah. Second, it's Special Agent Gibbs. Third, What time do you think it is in Washington? She won't be at work. I told her to stay at my house until I know for certain that her's is safe; the whole team is probably there. My number is in the emergency contact list, but would be a better idea for me to talk to her."

"Why?"

"She's Israeli." He said that as though that explained everything.

* * *

Abby was the first person to respond when the phone finally rang.

"Tony... Oh Boss-man... I'll put you on speakerphone."

"Where are you?" asked McGee after Abby put them on speaker.

"Hospital. We're fine. Angelica nearly drowned but Tony and I got to her in time. He being given antibiotics just in case. He passed out from exhaustion in the ambulance on the way here."

"When are you coming home?" asked Abby.

"As soon as Angelica is cleared to travel. It might be a few days."

"We will make sure Brad knows about this. I can have him on call as soon as you land at Dulles. He will want to hear from me, yes?"

"Yeah, Ziva." He hung up on them.

* * *

Angelica woke to the steady rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor. That was her first clue that she was in the hospital. The second clue were the insanely white walls of the room. A nurse was checking her vitals. She didn't notice Angelica was awake.

"Water." Her voice was was raspy. The nurse help her take a few sips. "Tony?"

"He's in a room down the hall." The nurse anticipated her next question. "So far he's fine. I haven't heard a cough from him since he got here. If he stays that way he will be released tomorrow afternoon.

"Gibbs?" Angelica wasn't about to say 'dad' in front of an outsider. She wouldn't understand the family dynamics. Even her friends had a hard time understanding the relationships between everyone.

"He's been going between your rooms every half hour. I'll tell him that you're awake." She left after giving her a smile.

Angelica was only alone for a few minutes but it gave her enough time to dwell on what happened during the past few days. The drugs Claudia given her were still making her memory fuzzy but she could clearly remember what happened in Chicago... including the Petty Officer. Gibbs was going to hate her for all that she had done. This entire situation was all her fault.

Gibbs stood at the door watching her for a minute before entering. He sat down and wrapped his arms around her securely. She broke down crying. It was a well known fact that Gibbs was uncomfortable around crying women. He also was much of a hugger...that was Abby's role.

"I'm so sorry, Daddy. I should have stopped her. This is my fault. Please don't hate me!"

"Hey, don't apologize. It's ―"

"I know. It's a sign of weakness."

"That wasn't what I was going to say. It's not your fault. It can't be your fault. You were the victim here. Claudia could have gone about this differently... she chose not to."

"It is my fault. I let her get away."

Gibbs sighed heavily. He knew he had been doing that a lot during the last few days. He had to walk her through this. "Have I ever lied to you?"

"Well, you have repeatedly told me that you might have to start head slapping me like you do with Tony. So far there hasn't been any changes to the 'no head slapping Angelica rule'."

"Angelica..." It was a warning.

"No, you have never lied to me."

"Why would I start now when you need me the most. This wasn't your fault."

"But I could have escaped in Chicago."

"You don't know that. You were in an impossible situation. Getting Hope to safety was the right thing to do. I'm proud of how you handled everything."

"She's my half-sister."

"I know."

"She's going to come after me and Tony."

"I won't let her."

"It really isn't my fault?"

"No, it's not your fault."

"Thank you, Daddy."

"Angelica, I could never hate you. Now get some sleep. You have to heal if you want to leave tomorrow."

* * *

When Gibbs left Tony's room he was finally alone. He didn't expect anything more or less than that. Angelica needed their dad more than he did at the moment. That didn't mean that he couldn't let him know he was awake. Because this was Gibbs. He probably had been waiting for him to wake up so he could head slap him for going in the ocean.

He pushed the call button. Tony expected a nurse. What he got was an elderly doctor that probably older than Ducky. He managed to see the doc's name tag — Jack Nicholson. Tony groaned at the absurdity that he another doctor with a famous name.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Excuse me?"

"It's nothing. When can I see my sister?"

Nicholson took a few seconds before he answered. It was as though he wasn't sure who Tony was talking about. "She's sleeping at the moment. If you aren't showing any symptoms of pneumonia when she wakes we'll see about letting you visit." Dr. Nicholson's tone changed. "One of the nurse's found needle marks on Angelica's arms. The found traces of two different types of benzodiazepines. The techs can't identify either of the drugs."

"Send a vial of her blood to Washington D.C. Our tech is the best in the country."

"Already done."

"Was she―" Tony left the question hanging but the doctor knew what he was asking.

"No, we did a rape kit and she was clean. If that's all I have other patients I have to get to. I'll be by later the check on you."

Tony turned on the television when the doctor left so he didn't have to sit in a quiet room by himself. There wasn't anything interesting on so he switched to ZNN. There was no mention of Hope and Angelica's kidnapping. For once Tony was thankful that NCIS was the one federal agency no one has ever heard of. If he was FBI this would have been on the six 'o clock news for even the smallest of news stations.

Gibbs walked into the room during a dog food commercial. He sat down without saying a word. Talking wasn't necessary... at least it wasn't necessary until Gibbs got comfortable and handed him a burger and a coffee in a to-go cup. They both took a bite before giving the burgers a disgusted glare. Gibbs wasn't getting anything else so they ate them anyways. The coffee wasn't half bad.

"I want to head home tomorrow. Angie needs to be somewhere familiar. I don't care what Dr. Jack Nicholson says."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. I had the same thoughts you're having."

* * *

As the plane landed in Dulles, only Tony was fully awake. He had never been able to sleep on a priority flight no matter how tired he was. Angelica was fast asleep within minutes of taking off. Gibbs drifted off soon after giving Tony his orders since he knew he wouldn't be sleeping any time soon. Though the orders did mainly consist of 'don't wake me unless it's important'. That fortunately did include if he started to cough uncontrollably.

Tony always had too much on his mind during priority flights since the only time they took them were while they were on a case in a different part of the country... or world. This time he was thinking about how easy it would be for Claudia to hide in plain sight. Her only distinguishing feature were her brilliant green eyes and those could be easily hidden. With money she could get colored contacts from any underground market. She would probably cut and color her hair as well. Not blonde. Her skin tone gave her away as Italian and a bad dye job would make her look suspicious... that and she was most likely a snob who took a lot of pride in her looks.

Abby, Ziva, and Hope were waiting for them at the airport. Tony went to take Hope from Ziva but she only tightened her grip on the baby.

"Ziva only put Hope down to change her and in the car. McGee and I have been taking turns driving her to and from work because she refuses to take her eyes off from her."

Tony was amused by this revelation but also concerned. He knew that some parents got separation anxiety disorder after a child is kidnapped. He didn't realize Ziva would be one of those parents.

"Z, you trust me, right?" asked Tony.

Ziva nodded. "Yes."

"Then let me have the baby. I promise that nothing will happen to her." Ziva hesitated for a moment, unsure about letting the little girl out of her arms. In the end she handed Hope over to Tony. He sighed as he snaked his arm around her waist. He was slightly surprised that she let him. Even after being married for 16 months she still didn't like showing public displays of affection. "So, did you get me a new phone? I kinda lost mine back in Denver."

Ziva and Gibbs both had to remind themselves that hitting Tony would be a bad idea until he put Hope down.

* * *

The whole team plus Angelica, Hope, Director Tomlin, and Fornell were in the bullpen. Gibbs didn't like that Fornell was there. It usually meant that he was going to try to take over his case. He was to tired to fight him on this. It was his family. He had every right to keep this case.

"Your director has already read me into the case. A civilian kidnapping a civilian is FBI jurisdiction no matter who those civilians are, especially if you cross state lines."

"I'm not giving up this case Tobias. Angelica is one of Tony's and that make her one of mine."

"Then let me help. The FBI has resources that you don't. I'm suggesting that we make this a joint manhunt."

Gibbs thought it through for a moment before he nodded.

* * *

Tony knew that McGee had something to tell him. He remembered that the younger mentioned that he uncovered something that couldn't be said over the phone. When he was looking for Angelica it was the last thing on his mind but now that everyone was home he was a little curious of what McGee had to say to him.

"So, Probie, what was so important that it couldn't be said over an insecure line?"

"Well, I was bored so I did a little digging into Maria Keller's past. She isn't as innocent as we first thought. I have reason believe her husband may have been hired to kill you. He was a hit man. Maria knew about this so when your father asked Thomas Keller to kill you she asked that she could have guardianship of Claudia and $100 million. I followed the money and tracked it back to your father. Not an easy task since it was nearly 30 years ago that the transactions were made. It's all speculation but you know how the boss feels about coincidences."

"Well, that's just great. At least there's one less psycho out there that wants me dead!" Tony didn't know why he reacted like that. "I'm sorry, Probie. This job is just starting to get to me. Sometimes... lately I've been wondering what everyone's lives would have been like if I had been killed when I was little. I can't help but think...."

"Tony, don't talk like that!" The way Tony was talking scared McGee.

"A lot of people would be alive if I had died."

"And a lot more would be dead, including me. Thousands of people are alive because of you; don't ever forget that."

* * *

Two weeks passed without any new leads on where Claudia could possibly be. McGee was the only field agent on the team that wasn't given mandatory desk duty for that first week by the director. He spent most of his time with Abby and Jimmy in the lab trying to figure out any clues as to where she would go. So far he only had a lot of places that she wouldn't go... all of them once belonged to Antonio DiNozzo.

While they weren't at the office the whole team would be at the DiNozzo's home. It was the only house that was big enough to hold them all comfortably. Gibbs wouldn't allow anything else with Claudia still on the loose. He would have preferred that they stayed at his house but there just wasn't enough room for ten people to live in. Even the DiNozzos' seemed to be a little cramped at times and it had seven bedrooms. Gibbs knew that it was possible that Claudia knew where they all lived but he wasn't letting any of them out of his sight until he knew that it was safe. However, the team refused to go into hiding when none of them were seriously injured. They preferred to fight.

The only one that broke the rule of 'everyone sticks together' was Abby. She sometimes slept in her lab instead of joining the team. Gibbs only allowed this because NCIS was probably one of the safest places for her to be.

It was a Saturday when the team was called in during their weekend off. Ducky was left behind to look after Angelica and the kids. The director called Gibbs personally and told him that he had to work on a new case though he wouldn't explain why. The only thing Tomlin told Gibbs was that they had a dead naval lieutenant at the same park that Angelica and Hope were abducted.

Jimmy arrived fifteen minutes after the rest of the team since he had to prep everything himself. He had a new assistant every week from local med schools but none of them worked on weekends unless there were multiple bodies. Gibbs was talking to Tomlin. Admittedly, Jimmy was still a little intimidated by both men and approached Tony instead, choosing not to interrupt.

"Palmer, TOD?" asked Tony.

"According to the liver probe, I have to say between 10 and midnight. Cause of death is harder to determine with so little blood since he was shot twice... execution-style."

"This was a dump." It wasn't a question.

"Definitely. I'll know more when we get him home. Though from what Dr. Mallard has told me, it's more common to shoot the head first then the heart."

"Tony!" called Gibbs. "Get over here!"

"Coming, Boss."

Gibbs shoved a piece of paper into Tony's hands. "Read it."

"Dear, Anthony and Angelica. I hope you haven't forgotten about me so soon. If you have I left you a little gift. I would like to think that you would enjoy it. It should make you feel useful Anthony. I hope to see you soon. Love, Claudia. P.S. I trust you have alternate accommodations."

The other side of the note was a photo of Tony, Abby, and Gibbs. It was dated.... the same day that Angelica graduated. Tony paled.

"She's at the house." Tony ran to the car with Gibbs at his heels. Gibbs took the driver's side and took off before Tony even closed his door. He pulled out his new phone and called Ducky's cell. He wasn't answering.

"Dammit, Ducky, answer your phone!" Tony yell out in frustration.

"Try Angelica. She hasn't put down her phone since she got it."

Tony did as he was told and thankfully she answered on the first ring.

"Tony?" She had no idea why he would call since he never called her while he's working a case.

"Angie, where are you? I need your exact location."

"I'm doing laundry."

"You need to get out of the house. It's not safe there anymore"

"Ask her where Ducky is," ordered Gibbs.

She heard him so she answered before Tony could ask. "He's outside playing with the kids. What's go―" She stopped talking and Tony recognized the sound of glass breaking. "Oh my God!"

"Angelica, what happened?"

There was silence then an explosion and a scream.

"ANGELICA!"

* * *

Ziva looked around her looking for Tony and Gibbs. Tony still had photos to take but he was no where to be seen. She asked McGee where they were and all she said was that they were talking to the director.

There was no director, no Gibbs, and no Tony.

She did the only thing that made sense to her at moment like this... she called Abby.

Abby wasn't happy that they couldn't find her favorite agents but she tried find their location. Tony was on his cell and she easily tracked him. By the speed that he was jumping between cell towers only meant that Gibbs was with him. There was no reason to worry. They were heading home.

But as Abby would say, Ziva felt something hinky was going on.

Tony would never leave her without telling her where he was going. And Gibbs would never leave a crime scene until he had gathered all the evidence that he could. That alone was cause for her worry.

She really hated worrying.

* * *

Angelica screamed from inside the closet that she managed to throw herself into before all hell broke loose. Several explosions shook the tiny room. One was closer to her position than the others and she was tossed back, breaking her arm on a low shelf when she banged it against it.

Then it all stopped. Angelica knew that she had to get out. It wasn't safe since in all likelihood there was an inferno on the other side of the door. She already could feel the temperature rising. The door was kicked open and flames licked the door frame. Staying low, Angelica crawled as fast as she could with only one arm supporting her weight after she securely put her cell phone in her front pocket. It was turned off after the first explosion.

She avoided going near windows knowing that they would likely be the worse areas. She had to get to the back of the house where it was safer. Who ever did this wouldn't have gone into the backyard... at least she hoped the bomber didn't go into the backyard. Angelica would have a clear path to the backdoor if she could make it to the kitchen. But that was easier said than done. It was like a labyrinth that only had dead ends at every turn.

The smoke was making it difficult for her to breathe. She had to escape soon or she'll risk passing out.

After what what felt like ages, Angelica finally managed to get to the kitchen.

* * *

Tony was starting of become frantic. When he saw his home he knew that there would have been no way for Angelica to survive if she were in the front of the house. All he could see was flames and smoke.

He kept pressing redial. He refused to give up hope that his baby sister was still alive. She couldn't die. Not like this... not at the hands of a sociopath.

It took him a few minutes to realize that Gibbs was talking to Ducky because he was absorbed in his task. He relaxed slightly when Hope was placed in his lap. Not even Ziva could calm him down like his daughter could.

Then Angelica finally answered.

"Angie, are you ok? I'm here... Gibbs and I are at house"

"I'm fine. I'm on my way to the front yard."

* * *

Claudia watched as Angelica appeared from the back of the house while clutching her arm to her chest. She slammed her fists against the sycamore tree that she was hiding behind. It shouldn't be this difficult to kill one teenage girl. She had killed men with far better security than Angelica many time before.

She slipped away when she noticed that the two agents began to search for her.

* * *

The search came up with nothing. They couldn't even find a footprint. Other that Ari, Gibbs never had this much trouble finding a clue or even a suspect.

They had to interview the family... Tony and Angelica's family. It should have been done long before any of this happened. Gibbs thought he was protecting them. In the end though, he caused more harm than good by staying away from the DiNozzos.

Now he had to find a way to keep Tony from getting involved with the interviews. His gut was telling that there wasn't a point in ordering Tony to stay away. That wasn't going to work no matter how many times he had to repeat himself. Tony was too stubborn.

He couldn't lie to him again. The last time he lied to Tony he ended up having to kill Agent Lee and the entire department nearly fell apart. The time before that he almost died saving Maddie and himself from drowning after driving an old car into the Atlantic Ocean. He quickly learned after those mistakes lying to Tony was a very bad idea. It just took him a while to fully grasp the concept.

Gibbs pushed those thoughts away. He had to get Angelica to the hospital to get her check out and to fix her arm in a cast.

He had to get back to his team. They needed to be informed of what happened. Fornell's team could take care of processing the house. It was obvious as to what they were going to find but he and McGee wouldn't be able to do it by themselves. They needed to focus catching the psycho before she caused too much more damage.

The DiNozzo siblings were dropped off in front of the hospital. Tony saw Gibbs grab his cell phone after warning him not to let Angelica out of his sight. He called McGee for an update on the DB. He didn't want to face Ziva until he had to and only in person.

"Where are you, Boss?"

"I'm on my way back to the office."

"OK, better question, where are you coming from?

"Crime scene."

"I get it. You can't tell me. Is Tony with you?"

"He's with the victim right now." He paused not knowing what to say. "Get back to the office ASAP."

Gibbs let out a sigh. He needed coffee.

* * *

McGee had taken the evidence down to Abby as soon as they got back. He told her about his 'conversation' with Gibbs. She agreed to go upstairs with him when he got Lieutenant John Doe's prints running through AFIS. They called Palmer and told him the wait on the autopsy and get to the bullpen.

"Where's Tony?" asked Jimmy. He was ignored but was far used to this to care.

"McGee, we are going to to interview Claudia DiNozzo's family. They might be able to shed a light on her location. They could tell us if she has friends in the area."

"And if they don't?" prodded Ziva.

"Then I will arrest them for obstruction of justice, accessory to murder of a lieutenant, and accessory to the attempted murder of Angelica DiNozzo."

"Why Angie?"

"Because that bitch killed an innocent lieutenant and striped his identity from him just to lure us away from the house just so she could blow it up with Angelica still inside. She was nearly killed again!"

"What happened?" Abby's glared at Gibbs. It was a glare that had most men crumble.

He told them everything that happened.

* * *

This wasn't the first time Angelica broke her arm. As far as broken bones went, this one wasn't that bad. It didn't even require surgery. The first time she broke it she was in surgery for three hours. Her father had the valet leave her in the waiting room after he had filled the insurance forms.

Tony was the opposite. The only times he left her side was when she had to clean up and during the x-rays. When he couldn't be with her he made sure to be on the other side of the door. She couldn't help but enjoy the attention.

She knew that she was officially in protective custody. She wasn't going to complain as long as it was her family that was doing the protecting. The wasn't anyone that she trusted more to keep her safe and alive. No one stayed under Gibbs' protection for long. He always got his bad guy.

That was why she was concerned to see FBI Agent Ron Sacks sitting in Tony's chair when they finally got back. The man was smirking Angelica didn't like it when the Feebs smirked like that. Apparently neither did Tony.

"What are you doing here, Slacks?"

"Picking up a prime witness so that I can take her to a safe house. It's part of our jurisdiction. No matter how she's related to you she's still a civilian." The smirk never left his face.

"I'm not going with you."

"You don't have much of a choice Angela."

"Angelica!" corrected four voices. None of them belonged to Gibbs or McGee.

"Abbs, where are Dad and Tim."

"DiNozzo hunting." She then left without an explanation.

"I hope she wasn't being literal," Tony stated flatly.

"Can you focus please!" snapped Sacks.

"She's staying here. We all are until the house is rebuilt and Claudia is out of the picture." Ziva opened her mouth to protest. "That's an order."

Things were quiet after that. They couldn't do anything until they knew who the dead lieutenant was. It would help if they knew if it were a random killing or if Claudia knew the her victim. If it wasn't a random killing then someone might have noticed her.

* * *

A few hours later Tony brought Abby a Caf-Pow and a carton of Chinese take-out. She had the name of the lieutenant, John Smith. After he got the info he needed he went back upstairs to get Ziva so that they could talk to his CO, Captain Richard Prescott, over at Quantico Naval Base would know why Smith was in Washington.

"Z, we're heading out. Slacks, stay here and get me Smith's records, including bank and credit card statements. I want to know where he's been and who's he been with for the last two weeks. Angie, don't let the Feeb out of your sight."

"Yes, Boss!" chirped Angelica.

When they were out of earshot Sacks turned to Angelica. "Your brother really does channel Gibbs when he isn't here."

"Abby once told me that Tony is Gibbs with a pretty ribbon and glitter. You really have to spend time with them to understand that."

* * *

The closest DiNozzos lived in Baltimore. Marco DiNozzo was Antonio's cousin. He didn't care one iota about his cousin's money. He had his own.

He also had no idea that Tony was still alive.

Marco was a mine of information. Like the fact that Antonio told his younger brother, Stefano everything. However he knew very little about Claudia. He only knew that she never went anywhere without Heather Shaffer, that included when she visited her father at the California beach house. They needed to find Heather and fast.

But first Gibbs and McGee had to find Stefano.

* * *

Captain Richard Prescott was a bear of a man that could intimidate anyone. He and his crew had just returned from a tour of the Indian Ocean early the day before Smith was found dead. They had been at sea for eight months.

"Smith was a good sailor and a better man."

"Yes, we know. We read his record on the way down here."

"Smith was more than what his record said. If I could call anyone on that ship a friend it would have been him. He kept me in line when I needed him to."

"We understand." Tony hated this part of interviews. "We need to know a few things. Do you know why Smith was in Washington?"

"Yesterday was Babe's birthday. We went out for drinks in the city."

"Babe?"

"PFC Dwayne Foreman. He's the youngest of my crew. I was on a very small ship... only five hundred men."

"Did you go as well?" asked Ziva.

"Only for about an hour. I had an meeting with an admiral late last night." That was code for poker if Tony ever heard one.

"Did you see Lieutenant Smith with anyone outside of your crew?"

"Yes sir, a petite blonde."

Heather Shaffer.

* * *

Stefano DiNozzo was everything Marco wasn't. He was rude and uncooperative. He only told Gibbs and McGee that he knew Heather Shaffer and hinted that he knew that Tony was alive from the beginning. They couldn't prove whether he was involved in anything but Gibbs' churning gut was telling him that Stefano was the mastermind behind the whole operation.

* * *

Heather was scared. She hadn't seen Claudia since the night before when Claudia killed that sailor. She didn't know she was going to kill him. She thought Claudia just wanted to play with him.

But now she was stranded in a motel in Maryland with no money and no way to leave. She also had no way to communicate with the outside world. The only thing that she had was the .22 and smelly room that didn't have a tub much less a jacuzzi. She hated showers.

The cops would come looking for her soon. She was the last one that was seen with John. It was only a matter of time before they tracked down her credit card to a rental car and this motel. She just didn't know who was going to find her first... FBI or NCIS. At the moment, Heather much rather be confronted by the FBI. It wasn't personal to them. She had a chance that the FBI would be lenient with her. However, she would most likely be given to NCIS even if the Metro police found her.

All she did was wait. She didn't even turn on the television, knowing that whatever Claudia had done would be on all news channels. She couldn't even get into the mood to read. She lived to read.

It was late afternoon when the two agents she met in Chicago found her. She allowed them to arrest her and even pointed out where Claudia had put the gun.

It was all over for her.

* * *

Tony let out a sigh before entering interrogation room two. He usually enjoyed this part of the job but he really didn't want to question Heather. Gibbs on the other hand thought that he was the best man for the job. And you never go against what Gibbs tells you to do.

He sat down across from her without saying a word and stayed silent like that for a few moments. It was his favorite technique that he learned from Gibbs. He handed her a bottle of water.

"What happened?" Two simple words got her to tell him everything.

"Claudia came back about a week after the last time I saw her. She was furious. She told me that I was coming to Washington with her. I tried to refuse but she threatened to kill me and my parents the same way she killed my cat. So I went with her.

"I was told to find her a sailor. She didn't care how old he was. I went to different bars each night for weeks trying to find her someone suitable. Last night I found John and brought him back to the motel. Just like I was told to even though it felt wrong.

"Then she killed him. Heart then the head. I wanted to stop but I didn't want to die as well." Tears were falling down her face. "I'm so sorry." She put her head on the table and started to cry harder.

Tony left the interrogation room knowing that Gibbs would be on the other side of the door. He had a cup of coffee in each hand. He gave one to Tony.

"You did good."

When the two of them got back to the bullpen McGee and Ziva were grabbing their gear. McGee had his hand on his phone as though he was ready to dial.

"I was just about to call you boss. Local patrol found Shaffer's rental."

"Well, where is it?"demanded Gibbs.

"About two blocks away from your place. The officer also said....um well―"

"Spit it out, McGee."

"Your house blew-up moments after the LEO's found the car."

"Dammit. Angelica stay with Palmer. Let's go."

After a quick game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, of which Tony lost, the agents split up between two cars. Gibbs and Tony were in one while McGee and Ziva were in the other with Sacks. The FBI agent raised an eyebrow at this arrangement but didn't say anything.

The ride in both cars was quiet, though the only reason Tony was quiet was because he was afraid that he was going to get sick.

When they got there Gibbs saw immediately that his once beautiful home was now a crater. Every memory of Kelly was in the house. Now it was gone and replaced a giant hole that would never be filled. He had put all the physical reminders in storage but it wasn't the same. No amount of rebuilding could change that.

"McGee, Ziva! Go check out that car. DiNozzo, Sacks! Claudia is on foot. Track her down. I want her alive."

Sacks went one way and the other three went the opposite. "Z, keep an eye out on Dad. He's not acting like himself. If he mentions Mexico tie him to a tree." Tony knew Gibbs heard him but her didn't care.

Gibbs wanted to talk to the man in charge. He wanted his team to process this as soon and possible. He began to take photos knowing that it would catch someone's attention. The fire chief ran over to him with an irritated scowl on his face.

"Sir, I have to ask you to step back."

"Agent Gibbs, NCIS. That's my house.... well hole. I just want to know when I can begin looking for evidence."

"Seventy-two hours after the fire goes out. What are you hoping to find?"

"C4."

* * *

Ziva and McGee weren't expecting to find much in the car, maybe a few fingerprints at the most. They were wrong. Claudia left another note. On the front was a picture of Tony and Gibbs.

"Dear Jethro," read Ziva. "You had a lovely home. I was very lucky to have a chance to look around before it disappeared. If we ever get the chance to meet you must tell me how you would have gotten that boat out of your basement. Since you found the that means you have found Heather. I am impressed but I want her back, as well as the gun. It's not mine. Love, Claudia."

"She's sick. Why would someone write something such a thing?"

"Claudia may not see anything wrong with her behavior. She believes that we wronged her and now she wants revenge."

"Look, the tow truck is here. You go back and give this to Abby."

"Why do I have to go back?" asked Ziva suspiciously.

"Someone has to look after Angelica. You are her sister-in-law and are responsible for her."

"Fine, I'll go. But I don't like you ordering me around."

* * *

Tony stood in front of Claudia... his twenty-eight-year-old sister. She looked a lot like Angelica., but instead of fiery red hair Claudia had dyed brown hair. She was also nowhere near as beautiful as Angelica.

"I would introduce myself but I have a feeling that you already know who I am. So I only have one thing to say to you... "Claudia DiNozzo you are under arrest―"

Then everything went black.

Gibbs was getting worried... again. Tony should have been back by now. Sacks had returned more than fifteen minutes ago. He wasn't answering his phone. The last time that happened was two years ago. That ended with Tony, McGee, and Gibbs nearly dieing.

Suddenly his phone rang.

"Gibbs."

"I looked into Stefano and Marco's records. Something seemed... off. And I was right," said Ziva.

"What did you find?"

"They were in Los Angeles at the same time Angelica was kidnapped."

"Ziva, call Baltimore PD.

"I already have Wendell's team on it."

As soon as he hung up the phone rang again.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs. I think Tony is in trouble," screeched Abby.

"Abby."

No Gibbs, listen. I put tracking chips in all of your shoes when you guys where sleeping and Tony's isn't working any more."

"He could have gotten it wet. And don't think that we won't be talking later about you planting chips on us."

Abby ignored the reprimand. "I managed to make them waterproof."

"Alright. Keep an eye on the chip. Call me as soon as you get coordinates."

He hung up and it rung again.

"I wasn't done," said Ziva. "The car blew up. No one was hurt. Most of the evidence is gone."

"Are you done?"

"Yes."

He hung up and the phone rang yet again.

"What?"

"If that's how you answer the phone it's a wonder that anyone calls you at all."

"Claudia!" snarled Gibbs.

"Who were you expecting? Tony? No, I'm sorry. Tony is a little indisposed at the moment. However, I do believe that you will concede to talking with me."

"Where is Tony?" demanded Gibbs.

"That is something that you will have to figure out on your own. And speaking of 'on your own', if you do find him I want you to come alone. You have eight hours to find him." Then she hung up.

Gibbs phone was finally silent.

* * *

Tony was groggy when he opened eyes. He didn't recognize his surroundings at first. Then he noticed the dimensions of the space he was in. It was a damn shipping container. This time there was no Ziva to distract and to keep him distracted. What he did have was an unopened package of crackers and a cool bottle of water. He checked the package for punctures but found none. As he ate he contemplated his options. He didn't have any until those doors opened. It didn't help that he was cuffed as well. Ziva had taught him how to break out of cuffs but he needed a pin of some sort.

The vibrations under him told him that the truck was moving between 60 and 75 mph. That meant they were most likely on a highway. He was near an air vent and vaguely recognized where he was. Then there was a sign. Norfolk. That was a good thing because he was familiar with the city.

He no longer believed Claudia was working alone. She was unarmed when he confronted her. It wouldn't have been possible for her to have shot him in the neck with a dart from where she was standing. He could still feel the welt. There was a whole list of family members that were more than willing to help her. Uncle Stefano was at the top.

When the truck stopped he was greeted the scent of fresh salt water. It seem like they were going on a little boat ride.

* * *

Abby stared at her computer, willing the signal for Tony's chip to suddenly activate. She hated not knowing where a member of her family was. They were supposed to stay safe and together.

Then she heard the computer blip. Tony! This meant she could call Gibbs.

"I found him!" She rattled off the address of the marina. "Bring him back."

"I will Abbs." he was about to hang up when he heard her shout. "Abby?"

"He's gone again, Gibbs. What if he's gone for good?"

"Abby, I have never failed at bringing Tony back home. I'm not going to start now."

* * *

An hour had passed since Tony was forced into a small room, about the size of a closet, that smelled strongly of rotting fish. It was really starting to get to him. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to eat fish for a very long time.

He had many forgotten memories come back while he was trapped in that room. For two years he had been trying to get his memory of Kate in order. Memories of his time as agent afloat also came back.

He had planned on taking Claudia out of action but she had his SIG. He still had his belt knife that he had to replace after losing his last one to evidence. It wouldn't get him un-cuffed. I would, however, help him protect himself. Though it might not work, but it was better than nothing. He managed to get it out of his belt and hid it behind his wrist.

While he was staring out the the porthole he didn't notice someone entered the room.

"I haven't seen you since you were ten-years-old," said Stefano DiNozzo.

"How do you know I'm that 'you' you haven't seen since that 'you' was ten- ten-years-old when haven't seen that 'you' since he was ten-years-old? That 'you' would have changed a lot since that 'you' was ten-years-old. I might be a completely different 'you' and you might not even realize it."

"What?"

"It could be a case of mistaken identity. Though I have no idea whose identity you mistaken my identity with because no one has ever mistaken my identity before. Of course my identity may not be my identity like in _Borne Identity. _But then I wouldn't know my identity which would be a mistake."

"Shut up, Antonio!"

"See, it is a case of mistaken identity because my name isn't Antonio. It's Anthony... well most people call me Tony. Ducky calls me Anthony. But then again he call everyone by their proper name."

Stefano slapped him. "I said 'shut up'."

Tony only smiled at his uncle. "My dad says that slapping someone in the face is supposed to be humiliating. I never really understood that because you just slapped me and I'm not humiliated. Now, if Dad had slapped me like that I guess it would have been humiliating because... well I don't know why it would have been humiliating, it just would have been. But he wouldn't do that to me because he's my dad. He would never hurt someone he cares about. He taught me that."

That was when he was punched in the stomach. He really was getting to old to be getting punched. He was nearly 40. But Gibbs was still a cop and he was nearly at the age most cops retired. Though he didn't seem like he was going to slow down anytime soon.

"Your father had always said that you were the runt of the family. I can see what he meant. You are weak. You can't even save yourself. What would your 'dad' say about that?"

"I am not WEAK!" He threw the knife and it got caught in his uncle's shoulder. Stafano fell to the ground and Tony pulled out the knife before running out of the room. The door was stupidly left open. He didn't get far before a blade was held to his neck. Marco must have been nearby. Claudia was standing at a distance with a smile on her face. He wasn't getting free.

"We were ready for you anyway. I spotted a speedboat in the distance. It's coming right for us," said Marco.

The lugged him to the edge of the ship. On the way there Tony saw that many of the rooms contained open crates that held missiles and many types of guns and bombs. It was an arms dealers' paradise. His feet were bound tightly. They didn't need to put weights on him if he couldn't move. The last thing he heard before being forced over the side was Marco saying something about the last DiNozzo heir finally dieing. They didn't know about the kids.

Tony didn't scream even though it was a long way down. He had fallen further... he's been pushed out of a plane once, hung God only know how many feet from a ledge at a garage. This was nothing. There was no sense in being scared for himself. He was scared for his children; he didn't want them growing up without a father. He was scared of Angie, who would lose the person she cared for above all others. He was scared for McGee and Jimmy. They didn't deserve to lose a brother. He was scared for Gibbs; he would blame himself. And he was scared for Ziva. She had lost everyone that she cared for.

He struggled to reach the surface. His body wasn't cooperating. He only sunk deeper faster. He felt everything around him blacken as he lost consciousness.

* * *

Gibbs saw Tony being dropped over the edge. He was too far away. The speedboat was going as fast as he could force it to go. He saw another speedboat being dropped into the ocean but didn't go after it. Tony's life was far more important.

He dove into the water when he stopped the boat. In the few minutes that it took him to reach Tony, he had sunk nearly fifteen feet. Gibbs couldn't tell whether or not he was still breathing. He hoped to God that he was still breathing. He grabbed him by his arms and pulled him up. He hadn't swum that far from the boat and quickly made his way to it.

Tony was breathing on his own even though he was unconscious. He climbed behind the steering wheel after checking that Tony would be fine. The other boat had a large head start but he could already tell that his NCIS issue speedster was much faster.

He wished that he had brought McGee along with him. It would be much easier to take out Claudia, Marco, and Stefano if he didn't have to shoot at the same time. McGee could steer a boat if he had to. But he wasn't a sniper for nothing. He took a shot at the driver, Marco, and the bullet went right through his shoulder. He fell off the boat. He actually hoped that he hadn't killed him. The man had a lot to answer for and death was the easy way out.

Claudia must not have known how to drive the boat because it was dead in the water. He easily caught up with them. Marco was clutching the side of the boat, trying to stay afloat. Stefano was bandaging own shoulder, he knew he was caught. It was best that he didn't bleed to death.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now." There was a snarl on his lips.

"Because, Agent Gibbs, you are no murderer," said Marco as he as was pulled into Gibbs' boat and put into the cuffs that he had just taken off from Tony.

* * *

When Tony woke again Angelica was sitting in the bed opposite his. He had no idea why he was in the hospital this time. He also had no idea why it was Angelica watching him and not Ziva or Gibbs.

"Hey."

"Tony, I'm so happy that you are awake! Everyone was worried. It's been like three hours since Daddy rescued you. Ziva looks like she's ready to kill again."

"Angie, what are you talking about?"

"You guys caught Claudia. You nearly died... again. Can you stop doing that? I don't like it when Ziva turns assassin."

"You know she only does that because she cares." Angelica did know this but it didn't make life with Ziva easier when she was in one of those moods. She also knew Tony wasn't really looking for an answer.

"The doc said that you can go after you get checked out. There isn't anything wrong with you. Gibbs insisted that you come here in any case."

Twenty minutes later Tony and Angelica were back at NCIS. Tony had to fill out his report.

"Tony! What are you doing here?"

"Well, the lack of somewhere to live kinda limits where I can go."

It was a few days later when they were celebrating Hope's first birthday. They had a little party with the family. Even though the party was mainly for Hope they were also celebrating that they had all survived the entire mess Claudia, Stefano, and Marco created.

Sure Angelica had a broken arm and the majority of the team were homeless, but they were still together. That was what was important to them.

That and the fact that no one had to kill anyone. That was always a plus.

* * *

SIX WEEKS LATER

Today was the day that the DiNozzos and Gibbs were able to move back into the house. Gibbs' place was still a crater. Contractors weren't sure if the land was salvageable. The whole foundation had to be replaced. They lived in cramped safe houses. They were more than happy to be moving out.

One thing did manage to survive the blast at Gibbs' house, Kelly and Maddie's time-capsule. It was a little worse for wear but on the most part it was still intact. Gibbs was relieved by that. He had plans to rebury it as soon as his house was rebuilt. He had no idea why it wasn't destroyed with everything else. The bush that it was hidden under was nothing more than ashes. No one else knew about the time-capsule.

The day after they moved back in also was Angelica's first day at George Washington University. She had already chosen forensic anthropology and criminal sociology as her majors. Many of her classes were foreign languages. Something like that could only help her when she applied for FLETC in her senior year.

"Angelica! Hurry up. You don't want to be late for your first day of school."

"Chill, Tony. I just want to look right. I never been to a school where I can wear whatever I want. It's going to take a little time."

"I really hope I don't have the same problems with Hope that I have with you."

"Tony, relax. She will be fine. And we will have the same problems with Hope if you plan to send her to private school like you did with Angelica," Ziva said with a smile. "Just be happy. You deserve it."

With that said, Tony bent down and lightly kissed her.

* * *

Angelica sat down in her first class and introduced herself to her classmates that she was next to. The next four years were going to be interesting.


End file.
